The News That Arrived

For ten days straight,

Each day passed like this: practicing swordsmanship, drawing talismans, and cultivating the Minor Breath Concealment Technique.

Jiang Ding lived quite comfortably. He lacked no resources, progressed steadily in his studies, faced no insurmountable problems, and could see his own improvement every day.

Sizzle~

With a single stroke, the densely packed formation diagram on the table let out a sound, then began to emit green smoke. Its center turned into charred black carbon.

"The Spirit Gathering Array truly deserves to be one of the most advanced first-rank formations. The Great Sun Spirit Gathering Array is even harder. This attempt failed again..."

Jiang Ding sighed, set down the Talisman Brush, and slowly recalled every detail of the talisman drawing process, committing them to memory.

Fortunately, the Talisman Brush, talisman paper, and Spirit Ink were all specially made by the Immortal Sect for after-class practice. A successful attempt produced a slight reaction, while failure brought no serious consequences. They were cheap to make and could even be recycled.

Compared to low-rank Outer Realm Cultivators, who would have to work for nothing for days or even months after a single failed practice attempt, the gap was at least dozens or hundreds of times greater.

With all kinds of such foundational technologies, technical talents such as Immortal Sect alchemists, Array Masters, and Artifact Refiners could flourish in such abundance.

Outer Realm Cultivators had once tried to imitate them.

But they discovered that although such technology seemed inconspicuous and was only used by low-rank cultivators, its technical complexity was extraordinarily high. Only immense sects on the level of the Nine Great Immortal Sects, sparing no effort and even calling upon Sect Ancestors and large numbers of high-rank cultivators, might have a chance of cracking it.

Yes, only a chance. Research was simply like that.

And so, who would dare swallow a bear's heart and leopard's gall and do such a thing?

An Immortal Sect belonged to its mighty sect masters and ancestors, not the other way around—making those great figures disregard their own cultivation to serve some minor cultivator.

Whoever truly dared would be slapped to death, even if they were the most favored disciple.

Practice talisman paper, pills for the educational system, the Optical Formation Engraver, the Eagle's Takeoff Sword Art, Law-Breaking Steel... and so on and so forth. They looked unremarkable, scattered everywhere throughout daily life.

But which of them was not the painstaking work, the heart's blood poured out by generations of Immortal Sect predecessors over ten thousand years? None could be made easily just because some genius slapped their forehead.

They required a vast and complex cultivation industrial system, an unceasing supply of cultivation talent, and accumulated technology.

Jiang Ding suddenly raised his head and gazed at the distant sky.

At the city gate,

Many black-armored soldiers were utterly shocked, while large numbers of commoners scattered aside, not daring to obstruct them.

"The Four Seas Merchant Guild... has really suffered a crushing defeat."

"Hiss~ Who could have made a move? That is the Four Seas Merchant Guild's 'Heavenly Dragon Spear,' Long Zhengwu, a famed Inner Qi Perfection expert!"

Amid the crowd's discussions, Long San gritted his teeth and clutched his severed arm, from which blood kept seeping.

The other members of the Four Seas Merchant Guild were in much the same state: severed arms and legs, some lying on the carts with only a final breath left. They were miserable beyond measure, and their number was less than half of what it had been when they left the city.

Even Long Zhengwu, the "Heavenly Dragon Spear," was deathly pale, having been Severely Wounded.

"This grudge, the Four Seas Merchant Guild will not forget!"

Long San spoke word by word, each one steeped in towering hatred.

In this battle, more than half of their elite escort team had been killed or wounded. Most were members of the Long Clan; many had been his uncles, elders, nephews, those who had watched him grow up, and companions who had played with him for years.

One of them had been his eldest son.

Long Zhengwu, whose temples were lightly streaked with gray, rested a hand on his black-gold iron spear and said nothing.

As they passed down the street, many people revealed gloating expressions.

The Four Seas Merchant Guild had grown large by swallowing up many people's interests.

And though it had been exceedingly generous toward honored guests, people and forces it wanted to win over, it had treated those beneath them and smaller forces far less kindly. Huang Deyou's friends and people like Xiao Cui had experienced this deeply.

At this moment, it truly felt like everyone was pushing at a falling wall.

Veins bulged across Long San's forehead. He looked ready to devour someone, frightening the surrounding people into scattering, before he calmed down again.

"Great-uncle, this time I was wrong. I thought we could swallow all the profits." Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. "After this, I will go to Luojin Hall of the Lineage and accept punishment!"

"Bastard!"

Long Zhengwu snapped, "Why do you need to shoulder the blame for this old man? My son is trapped at a bottleneck, and I was the one who ordered this!"

They looked at one another and silently shed tears.

"Oh my, Long San, how did you get hurt?"

A somewhat shrill voice came from not far away. "I told you, didn't I? East Spirit Mountain's waters run deep. You're not used to walking that road, you're not used to walking that road, but you just wouldn't listen. Well, isn't this wonderful now?"

Long San and Long Zhengwu abruptly lifted their heads and stared fixedly ahead.

A tall, stout fat man in a robe embroidered with golden toads rolled two iron balls the size of ox eyes in his hands. Surrounded by clusters of servants, he said leisurely, "Poor nephew Long Yueyue. At such a young age, he had already reached the Inner Qi Realm. Perhaps even the Innate Realm had been within reach in the future, yet now he died here because of his father."

The moment this man appeared,

The street immediately grew much quieter. A needle could have been heard falling.

If the Four Seas Merchant Guild, despite its ruthless conduct, still maintained a trace of a great merchant guild's dignity and always had some plausible pretext for its actions, then this "Spring Breeze Hand" was not so particular.

His "spring breeze" was reserved only for friends in the martial world whom he could make use of.

"Ah! And that nephew Long as well—what a pity..."

Ding Feng wore a sorrowful expression, sighing as though grieving for all beneath heaven.

To his surprise, despite his deliberate provocation, the two opposite him remained calm even with bloodshot eyes, knocking several young descendants charging forward to the ground in a few blows.

"Shopkeeper Ding has made the superior move. This time, the Four Seas Merchant Guild has lost."

Long Zhengwu cupped his hands and said with a smile, "No matter. The Four Seas Merchant Guild's business spans the Yue Kingdom. What we lost here can be made up elsewhere. Until we meet again."

With that, he ignored Ding Feng's provocation and led his people away.

Ding Feng's sorrowful expression vanished, his face shifting between light and shadow.

Not far away, a group of black-clad constables who had arrived at some unknown time saw that there was nothing for them to do and quietly departed.

Rotten Plank Street, general store.

A young man in blue robes came out and walked a thousand meters to receive them, standing with one hand on his sword.

An invisible pressure spread outward. Pedestrians automatically stepped aside, leaving a large empty circle around him.

"Young Master Jiang."

Long San could no longer suppress his emotions. Tears fell in great streams. "My Four Seas Merchant Guild was incompetent. We did not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth and overestimated our own abilities. Please forgive us."

"All the Blue Fluorescent Butterflies accumulated over these past ten-odd days were lost, seized by the bandits of Fierce Tiger Stronghold."

Though he had long expected it, Jiang Ding's brow still twitched, and a trace of killing intent spread from him.

"Shopkeeper Long, this is only a small matter. Your injuries are what matter most."

Jiang Ding comforted him and led everyone into the shop.

In the rear courtyard, the three sat facing one another as Jiang Ding slowly learned the details of the matter.

"In the end, I was too greedy and forgot the ancestral teaching to share profits with others." Long San said bitterly, "Though we had distributed some gold, silver, old medicinal herbs, and Aged Ginseng, how could those people possibly be satisfied?"

"Everything before this was merely to numb us."

Jiang Ding frowned. "You mean the major forces within the city were involved in this?"

"That must be the case."

The "Heavenly Dragon Spear," Long Zhengwu, sneered. "Though they covered their faces and altered their appearances, and no one used their signature techniques, where could a tiny East Spirit Prefecture find three Inner Qi Perfection experts and so many Inner Qi Realm martial artists?"

"Young Master, rest assured." Long San said in a low voice, "Since they went to such lengths to seize them, they certainly will not allow any harm to come to the Blue Fluorescent Butterflies, nor will the butterfly gathering in East Spirit Mountain stop."

"Very soon, someone should come to contact you, Young Master."

"As for this matter, the Four Seas Merchant Guild will stop here."

He gave a chilling smile.

"There will be plenty of time in the days to come!"